Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-09
A CARD.
Fire Commissioner Griffitt. Nall" Some
uIies."


Lies"
EDS. REcoRD-U UNION: As rule, do not
enter into public controversies in defense
of my integrity. 1t must justify itself.
Especially l avoid newspaper cards, for the
newspaper has the decided advantage at
all times. Though l am we'll aware of the
exceeding difficulty of mailing" your
contemporary, the Bee, to lie-for it will
d" wire in and wire out" though driven by
the truth to the last ditch-I cannot per-
nit its latest falsehood to go undenied. |
ask you to give me an opportunity to cor
rect your contemporary. 1t tonight said,
in reference to the funeral of the late Com
missioner, John Conran:
Chief Engineer O'Meara has given orders that
the members of the Fire Department attend in
full uniform. but President Griffitts-who, it ap-
pears carries political resentment even beyond
the grave-has issued orders that the members
of the department may attend, bnt only as
private citizens. Grifitts will never forgive the
Is fire ladies for aiding in preventing him be
ing chosen as Assessor in an election year
This is falsehood, without single ex-
cusing circumstance. have made no such
order, nor any other. in the matter. Neither
have | entertained any idea of interfering
to prevent the appearance of the depart
ment ct the funeral. While il is an ex-
ceedingly delicate matter to speak of this
thing now, l am compelled by the base
assault of the Bee to say that | did call
informally upon my colleague, Mr. Slater,
and suggested meeting of the Commission
to provide for the representation of the
department at the funeral. He thought it
unnecessary, and that Assistant Engineer
O'Meara could turn out the Department as
Chief | do not recognize the right of
10 do this IN
without an order of the Board but that
point | specially waive in this instance. l
suggested in this informal talk however,
| that as the question as to who is Chief
| is in issue in the Courts, that the depar:.
ment turn out as such under Foreman NJ
A. Howard, or any other officer whose
position is not in question; that such
action would be more appropriate than for
either of the contestants to appear in the
! uniform of Engineer | still SO think.
Mr.. Slater disagrees with me. That is all
there is in the matter. The charge that
have made any order is wholly false. On
+. the contrary, on Wednesday, and since,
| members of the department have asked
me about turning out, and | have uniformly
told them that should make no objection.
! My own idea was that it was filter to go to
a funeral without the apparatus" of the
| department, and l still think so, as a mat
| ter of good taste. Had the Bee desired to
learn and tell thetruth, it could easily have
ascertained the facts. As to my entertain
tanning enmity toward the ' fire ladies :"
for supposed political unfriendliness, it is
simply absurd. 1 submit that my conduct
as Commissioner does not justify any such
charge, and no man in the department can
say that have opposed him in anything,
except for direct cause, openly stated in the
Board, and never for political reason.
J. 7. GRIFFITTs,
President Board OF Fire Comm'rs.
Sacramento. September 8, 1887.